47 of the players chosen for the series, including the three who played for Glamorgan, were English. The three exceptions were the AustralianTestfast bowlerTed McDonald; the Indian-bornbatsmanDuleepsinhji, though he later played for England; and Douglas Jardine, who was born in India of Scottish parents. One player, Roy Kilner, had died in April 1928 just a few weeks before publication. All of the seventeen county clubs then taking part in the County Championship are represented in the series. Most of the players in the series were veterans in 1928, only ten being under 30. The oldest player was Wilfred Rhodes, aged 50; the youngest was Duleepsinhji, aged 22.
Each card has a 1–50 series number determined alphabetically by surname. All players are named on the front and back of the card by initials preceding surname. Players who had amateur status are prefixed "Mr." (e.g., Mr. A. P. F. Chapman) or, in two cases, "Hon." (e.g., Hon. F. S. G. Calthorpe). There is an artist's impression of each player on the front of the card; seventeen are portraits and 33 depict the player in action.[1]
Series information
Key
# – card number in series (i.e., 1–50)
Player – the name is that given on the front and back of the card, except in the cases of Nobby Clark and Ted McDonald where significant errors have occurred
Player's name in bold – the player took part in Test cricket during his career (with the exception of McDonald, who was Australian, all the Test players represented England)
Club – generally, the first-class club(s) whom the player represented in 1927 and was expected to represent in 1928
Age – the player's age at 28 April 1928, the opening day of the first-class season; Roy Kilner's age is at 5 April 1928, the date of his death
Type – an amalgam of initialisms (see below) which describe the player's style of batting and bowling (some players are specialist batsmen); and (if appropriate) wicketkeeper
On the Wills card, Clark's initials are given as "E. C.", but that is a publication error. His full name was Edward Winchester Clark and he was universally known as Nobby Clark.[9][10]
WY 1930. Like his uncle, Ranjitsinhji, Duleepsinhji was usually called "KumarSri" and given the initials "K. S." on scorecards. This is actually incorrect usage because "Kumar" and "Sri" are both honorary titles. On the Wills card, "K. S. Duleepsinhji" is the style used.[14]
WY 1923. During his career, Russell was always known as Albert Charles Russell but his real name, discovered much later, was Charles Albert George Russell. Even so, he was universally known as "Jack" Russell.[41]
WY 1930. Toured South Africa in 1927–28 with the MCC team.[2] Wills describes Wyatt as "probably Warwickshire's best all-rounder" and as "a polished batsman of sound defence".[54]
Bibliography
Wills, W. D. & H. O. (1928). Wills' Cigarettes Cricketers, 1928 – a series of 50. Imperial Tobacco Co. (GB & Ireland) Ltd.